July 6, 2006
Maryland Envy
Ah, Silver Spring. Even the name suggests silver lining optimism. Despite that it’s the ‘burbs, plenty of former city dwellers are making the commitment to buy real estate, open restaurants, and set up shop in what was previously considered a place to pass through as opposed to a destination. Perhaps Silver Spring is growing into what Clarendon wanted to become, before condos and retail chains began chipping away its character. In five years, will Silver Spring suffer the same fate?
In particular, Silver Spring appears to be an up and coming foodie haven. Just a few weeks ago, DCist April Fulton suggested I venture north to check out the Thai and Italian markets, which would give me an excuse to visit the reopened Black’s, Ceviche, or Jackie’s on the trip. Throw in Ray’s the Classics opening next week and closer access to this butcher, and I’m becoming downright envious of Silver Springers.
As a Columbia Heights resident, I can only “brag” about a fledgling “bring Whole Foods to Columbia Heights” campaign, as well as Wonderland and a soon-to-come Target. Though I exaggerate, the fate of Columbia Heights may lie in Ann Cashion’s hands, and whether she really is opening Nineteen Butchers and a taqueria anytime soon.
Aside from food centered jaunts, plenty of District residents have trekked to Silver Spring for other perfectly good reasons as well. This week alone offers plenty, with AFI Silver Theatre celebrating Raiders of the Lost Ark’s 25th anniversary, the coolness that is Sean Connery, Jaws, and the end of its Robert Altman film retrospective.
And for clothes hounds, the icing on the cake: the area’s second American Apparel has opened in . . . Silver Spring. Sure, American Apparel is becoming as ubiquitous as the Gap, but as reported in the New York Times, “. . . consumers are attracted to the company’s reasonably priced T shirts and underwear, along with its hipster aesthetic of soft core pornography, which have made Mr. Charney’s business hugely profitable.” Are Silver Spring residents more tolerant of racy ads than Virginia's and the District's are? Rather than open a second outpost in D.C., American Apparel seems to be banking on it.
Tell me my roving eye toward Silver Spring is misguided. I dare you.
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Actually, it feels like it's the other way around. Silver Spring essentially has already had its soul taken away by massive amounts of chain retail, chain restaraunts and condos. Clarendon still has a few indpendently owned shops and restaraunts, but it's pretty much become a perversion of its former self.
When we bought there in 2000, my ex used to refer to Silver Spring as "Bethesda EAST" (annoying!) because he hoped it would become that. I'll admit that it's nice, there are many more stores and restaurant choices than when I worked in downtown SS in the late '90s, but still, it always seemed way too far from downtown DC for me. I sold out for a big profit, took the money and ran back to my beloved DC. Occasionally I go to the AFI, and I've tried a couple of the new restaurants nearby, but once you've been there, you've been there. It's nice for middle-class families, but it's not an urban enclave.
Actually, back in the 50's and 60's Clarendon was much like it is now (plus the condos). It was the Metro construction that brought economic destruction, which itself enabled the Vietnamese refugees to move in and used car lots to set up. Ever since the Metro completed, the Wilson Blvd corridor has seen a steady movement back to what it was like before the Metro. It's a sad process at times, but to say it's a perversion of its "former self" or that it didn't "become" what it wanted to be is confusing, seeing as it's not clear what qualifies exactly as its "former self" or what exactly it was trying "to be".
mmm, macaroni grill.
I especially love the idea that the addition of Silver Plaza and all of it's chain restauranty excess somehow results in Silver Spring "having its soul taken away." Did you actually spend any time in downtown Silver Spring before the recent development? Much of it was a wasteland of depressing dollar stores, uniform stores, and other low-end retail. Other than a few decent ethnic restaurants, a used book store, and the cheap movie theater there just wasn't much reason to go there.
Nearly everything of any value that was there before, with the exception of the cheap movie theater, is still there now. The ethnic restaurants are all still there, and many of them are doing better. The used book store? Still there. The CD/Game Exchange? Still there. In addition to the chains, interesting and independent new restaurants like Mandalay, Addis Ababa, Taste of Morocco, and the new outpost of Ray's the Steaks have moved in. The Silver Theater is an absolutely amazing facility and resource, Warren Brown opened his first CakeLove expansion store there, the bigass movie theater is a resource that the surrounding area REALLY needed . . .
Other than a pool hall I never even knew existed before it closed, and a movie theater where the only good feature was the price, what good things have been lost in Silver Spring? If you don't like Macaroni Grill or Red Lobster, don't go, but don't try to claim that the development has somehow been bad for downtown.
I agree with Nate. The entire post was tinged with a sort of arrogance that I suppose D.C. residents have for the suburbs, but remember: people who move to Silver Spring are not forgetting about the city, as one who is moving to West Virginia might. No. They are simply coming here for the schools.
Silver Spring will be an urban enclave, if it hasn't become one already. Its prosperity will hopefully spill down Georgia Avenue, better connecting it with D.C.
wait, cashion's taqueria de flores is going to be a "taqueria" specializing in "tortillas" ???
shouldn't a taqueria specialize in, well, TACOS?
I'm Mexican, from L.A. and I've been nothing but disappointed in 99.9 percent of the so-called "taquerias" in DC. The only one that does the trick for me is near Mt. Vernon outside the beltway, just of Rt. 1 and Arlington Drive called "La Mexicana." Pepito's on Columbia Road is good, but not as good. Trust me when I say it's no claim to taqueria authenticity to say that your longtime associate from El Salvador is going to be doing the cooking.
The cool thing about Silver Spring is its vast potential. Its got tons of big light industrial spaces - the kind that's very rare in DC, Clarenden, Bethesda - that will become cool businesses in the years to come. Its got urban density and proximity to the DC line and the metro. The makings for a very cool place indeed.
So they've got a few chains. Many are local chains anyway (Austin Grill, Lebanese Taverna, Cake Love). Then its go Chipotle, Potbelly, Starbucks, etc.. None of those in the downtowners too cool for SS neighborhoods. Nope.
Really the very best thing about SS is that it doesn't suffer from the hyper affluence that aflicts every other close in, dense suburb. Its a little bit grity and incredibly diverse. Not a bit like yuppie Clarenden or white bread Bethesda. I'd add that when you mix in all the different ages (eg families with kids, retirees) you've got a place that is also a heck of a lot more diverse than Dupont, U Street, Adams Morgan etc...
Starbucks, Chipotle, Cold Stone, Potbelly, Barnes & Noble... tons of character!
han, have you ever even been there? Yeah, its got some chains just like practically every other place in the area save for a few decrepit neighborhoods that have, well, nothing except for a plexiglass chinese-chicken-subs joint (whose residents would love to be invaded by that characterless chains). These, by the way make up a few of the hundreds of interesting businesses of all kinds in Silver Spring so save the lazy broadsides.
Silver Spring has its 24 hour Tastee Diner 50 years before Adams Morgan got its neuveau Diner. Its got the Quarry House, a serious dive that would have long ago been spoiled in DC. Its got Crisfield that makes Johnny's Half Shell seem like the yupper contrievance it is.
Character? I could go on and on.
I just moved to Silver Spring, and I've gotta say, despite being a suburb, it still feels more like a DC neighborhood than anything else. I was born and raised in a literal suburb where you had to climb in a car and drive on the interstate to get to the big city. And even though I hate that every year, Urban Outfitters gets rated the best "thrift store" in DC, I have no hate in my heart for chain stores, and the American Apparel on Colesville makes me giddy.
It's the nature of the beast that chain store capitalism and indie mom'n'pop shops must coexist. In "new" neighborhoods, the ratio expands, then one is pushed out. Even within the District limits, the same holds true. Anybody remember U Street five years ago? In sum, support your Tastee's, because God knows we can't live without it (yum), but don't let anybody call you a sellout for grabbing a burrito bol at Chipotle...in whatever part of Metro DC you feel like.
Slaup, how on earth do you equate the diversity levels of U Street and Adams Morgan with Dupont Circle? I lived in Silver Spring for 18 months.. U Street is more diverse.
I'm definitely not being entirely serious about DC, nor am I being snide about Maryland. I totally get why people move there, I'm just not one of them. However, when I move to Columbia Heights and have relatives visit when the mart across the street gets the glass shot out by a pistol in the middle of the night, I'm sorta mortified.
I'm jus' playin about maryland. I'm too old to be anti city or suburb for that matter.
Least we forget Chipotle, McDonalds, Walmart, Lowes, Starbucks, ect..all started as mom and pop stores in one way or another.
I don't get DC's anti suburban snobbery. Do you people not realize how incredibly small DC is? Only about 60 square miles, folks. If the urban area really was how it's characterized by many DCist writers, you would expect dramatic dropoffs of urbanization when one crosses the city line. Does that happen? no. of course not. SS and Rosslyn and Bethesda are typical inner ring suburbs, that really are just a--if not more--"urban" and "diverse" and thriving with economic vitality than many many DC neighborhoods.
And really, more to the point, vast swaths of DC (if not the geographic majority of DC) is entirely more "suburban" than places like Silver Spring and Clarendon. You could make a fair case that certain parts of DC are actually suburbs of Bethesda and Silver Spring.
I have been living on upper Massachusetts for 7 years and am moving to Silver Spring in a month. Imagine my surprise when I recently found out I could get to the "hip" "urban" scene that is the U street corridor faster from Silver Spring than my current District residence. Plus I am originally from Kansas City where getting from neighborhood to neighborhood usually involved a 20 minute drive. I don't think the 20 minute metro ride to the middle of DC proper is ever going to kill me.
Ramu--if you lived on 11th st. you wouldn't care what she called it. We are starved for restaurants of any kind, and the sooner her tacqueria/pupuseria/coterie of butchers arrives the better.
I personally love how people rip on Silver Spring for the influx of chain stores and restaurants, yet they badly want a Target or Whole Foods to come to their neighborhood. I've never heard anyone say, "I just can't wait until Rodman's moves in and transforms this neighborhood!"
Regardless of your views on chain stores/restaurants, they are a necessary part of the development. They have the large corporate bank accounts that can essentially pay for the development. The large spaces they take up helps to subsidize the smaller spaces rented by the mom-and-pop stores and restaurants. Once the area becomes developed, then more local stores/restaurants will move into the area. This is already evident with Jackie's, Mandalay, Ray's the Classics, etc.
There are a ton of new condos still planned for SS, especially along Georgia Ave. towards the District line. As these are finished and people move in, I think you will see even more local restaurants and shops pop up along the way.
I won't say I have never turned my nose up at but they do have a place. If you have a ten dollar bill in your pocket, you are STARVING and you have to be somewhere in a half an hour, where better than Chipotle or Subway? And as anyone with a car will tell you, in 7 years almost everyone one I know without a car here has at some point asked me to take them on a Target run and before I had a car, I can think of a couple times. If you need to pick up a 20 pack of socks, a screwdriver and some place settings there is nowhere that comes close. You could find a local hardware store, a home furnishings place, and a local clothing store but you would spend your whole day driving around to pay more for less selection. This whole discussion is very interesting because the line between hip and yuppie is so thin. For as much as we love to rip on the other, the margin is just miniscule. I wish you could sign up for a service that sends a text message to your cell phone that lets you know when something jumps the shark. "Attention DINKs wearing urban outfitters faux-vintage spotted last night ordering lychee fruit martinis at Tabaq. Proceed with caution" "Breaking news, Cakelove opens second location, distributes employee handbooks. Please discontinue patronage."
Black's is in bethesda...unless boundaries moved. In which case there are suddenly many more restaurants in silver spring...
Wow. You bitch about Clarendon being Gap'ed out, then extol the virtues of chain stores in other locations.
Gotta love you hipsters.
PS DCfoodFiend Hipsters are Yuppies
Grew up in SS/Taloma Park. Sure. Happy to have some new places to go. Not so happy that the Austin Grill, Chipotle, Macaroni Grill, have replaced the smaller hole-in the joints like Captain Whites, and even that Quarry House (now owned by the Jackies team).
Truth is rising property rates and the smoking ban have killed existing independent bar (emphasis on the BAR)/slash restaurants and the and the opportunity for the creation of new ones. Its okay, things change. But it would be nice to have a place to DRINK now and then without lovely uniforms, coiffed couples with babies and the like.
Another thing. Check out the polic blotter. Better still wander around at about 9-10 pm an a random Friday or Saturday night up in the general Ellsworth Ave. area and count the stares from the 16-20 year old male set with nothing to do but hang and look hard. Are they spending money? Nope. Eventually they'll siphon it.
I'm moving back to Silver Spring from Ohio in a couple of weeks. Sure, I'd rather live in the District, but the Sprung (heh) will do just fine for now.
DCFoodfiend, good call about the commute to U Street and the like. I heart the S metrobus line.
Unless I missed it, no one mentioned Alliance Comics. It's a shame, because it's a quality shop and much better than say, Big Planet.
Yeah, my former neighbors in Silver Spring were oh so diverse. The day we had a block party, one of them commented to me on how the former owners of our house had moved to "snooty Northwest DC". (Where at the time I still owned a condo.) Geez. Talk about a bastion of the whitebread middle class. As Silver Spring becomes less and less affordable, it will become less "diverse". Yes, I know that you can hear a dozen languages just walking around the Whole Foods there, but so can I in the one in Tenleytown.
And the worst part? One of my neighbors didn't want her teenaged kids to go to the local movie theater because there were so many "loud black kids" there. They drove all the way to Rockville instead. Diversity, yeah.
interesting article...read the comments too
Silver Spring has been "revitalized". That means that rather than the ghost town it used to be, as late at 1999, there are shops, movie theaters people actually like to go to, more restaurants that aren't dingy "joints" and run-down eateries. Now in addition to places like the Italian deli across from the AFI, you have a Whole Foods and a few upscale restaurants. You can walk around at night and enjoy eating an ice cream in a bustling crowd. Many of the small shops that were once in Silver Spring (Vinyl Ink, rest in peace) are gone but others remain. I don't live there, but I worked there for a while and lived there for a while as it was coming back up, and it's a nice place for people to live, with free weekend parking (yay!), Metro access, etc. The sad thing is that a friend was recently telling me that she and her husband can't afford to buy a small house there -- and the hub is a lawyer and she also makes a good salary.
Hipsters and other urban yuppies always want to be at the "in" place doing the "in" thing. They flock to any locatioin that seems trendy and has a "dive" bar where they can hang out and pretend to know more about "cool" than everyone else (ahem: Mount Pleasant). When I worked on U St. 14 years ago, I rarely saw any on them. They had to wait until the right "retail mix" came along, the 9:30 Club relocated, and the right amount of safe and renovated apartments became available.
No offense, Amy, but just because you lived in a homogenous neighborhood with a closet bigot or two that doesn't mean that Silver Spring isn't a diverse community.
The 2,000 census gives the following breakdown: 46.6% white, 28.1% black, 8.2% Asian, 0.4% Native American. 0.6% Pacific Islander, 11.6% other races, and 5% from two or more races. Over 22% of the population is Latino or Hispanic.
Now if only Vinyl Ink would return.
Now if only Vinyl Ink would return.
Don't even start on the whinging about the "fate" of Columbia Heights.
Its got the Quarry House, a serious dive that would have long ago been spoiled in DC.
The Quarry House was recently spoiled by new owner Jackie Greenbaum - the indifferently prepared food in greasy plastic baskets, the unattentive waitstaff, and the fact that they're constantly out of half the beers on the menu all make me long for the good old days ...
Its got the Quarry House, a serious dive that would have long ago been spoiled in DC.
The Quarry House was recently spoiled by new owner Jackie Greenbaum - the indifferently prepared food in greasy plastic baskets, the unattentive waitstaff, and the fact that they're constantly out of half the beers on the menu all make me long for the good old days ...
Philip, oh I didn't mean hipster I just meant the truly hip. The sneering independent record store employees of the world. I just meant there is a real fine line between hip and hipster. I guess that would have been a better way to say it. The progression from Jolt n Bolt to Tryst to Caribou is so subtle. I always wonder what that tipping point is where everyone collectively decides to turn down their noses. Is it the clientele changing, getting a good review from the post, opening multiple locations?
One other intersting thing I have always noticed, the same people who rail on chains (and I am one at times) and tout supporting local businesses are the same ways who complain when a local place makes good. I am sure the same people who used to sit at Wonderland and rag on the "masses" giving money to national chains while local business owners struggle are the first to bitch when those "masses" start showing up at Wonderland (and probably tripling the nightly cash flow). I have found myself on both sides so I am not trying to bust anyone. Just find it interesting that we want success for our local business owners, but not so much that our favorite places get mobbed with hipsters.
HELLO?? It's Silver SPRUNG!!!
SILVER SPRUNG
why is the "bring whole foods to columbia heights" campaign something to be proud of? personally, i think the idea of agitating to get an overpriced, lobster-coddling, anti-union grocery store across the street from one of the newest, cleanest giant foods in the entire area is a bit ridiculous. if you want to shop at whole foods, it's not that hard to get to logan circle. besides, which of the DCUSA tenants would you swap out for whole foods to come in?
There are some good points on this topic from many people, and I would tend to side with the "pro" Silver Spring crowd...and not just because I live in the area.
1) To call Silver Spring a "suburb" is pretty stupid. Yes, it's outside the District line...ooooo...wow! That line is soooo important, don't you know. Everything inside it is automatically really hip. Naturally. And everything outside, well, that's just the rest of America. Seriously people, don't be a bunch of duffers!! Go to Georgia Avenue, walk down it from the center of SS to the District line, and then tell me that you can really tell where one city starts and another ends. Let's get this out of our heads, please! SS is soon to have the largest Metro center in the entire metro area, and if a 15 minute commute to Capitol Hill/K St. bothers you, then go spend some time living in a real city like NYC or London. That will sort you out in no time.
2) Chains chains chains. This is all I ever hear. Frankly, if all you see in SS is the chain stores, then you need to explore more. Go down the side streets off Georgia Ave. Stop in at the Tayari Casel Martial Arts Academy on Bonifant and ask about the history of the neighborhood. You don't need a car, it's all in walking distance. But I'll be damned if I'm to be condemned for destroying a former "urban paradise" if I enjoy having shops around that sell high quality goods and services. Shame on me and my bourgeoius lifestyle. Shame!
3) Lack of diversity -- My next door neighbor is French Nigerian. Everytime I get in my elevator there is someone speaking Arabic, Chinese, Pashtun, Hindi, Urdu...when I first moved in I thought I was the only English speaker in the building. Also, there are considerably more African Americans and Latinos in SS because I think they feel more welcome there. Unlike Bethesda or N. Va and the other REAL suburbs where walking down the street and asking for directions warrants stares if you're anything but Anglo or Chinese.
Very well put Twoste. I would just add that diversity includes age as well. In SS you've got families, old folks, baby boomers, etc..., as opposed to "diverse" DC neighborhoods. I don't think you'll find this racial, ethnic and socioeconomic diversity anywhere else in the area in an URBAN environment. Sure, there are places in VA and MD that are incredibly diverse too, but these tend to be in the more sprawly areas like Rockville or Annandale, not Clarenden or Old Town.
You can't mention Silver Spring restaurants and not mention Roger Miller - the finest Cameroonian restaurant in the area. It's small, but the Ndole is delicious. And that is character.
http://www.washingtonian.com/dining/Profiles/rogermiller.html
A friend and I were just talking about American Apparel a couple nights ago.
American Apparel sucks.
There's nothing there for anybody who doesn't fit into an age 18-23 heroin addicted street urchin who poses for soft core catalog photos demographic. Walking in that store gives me the creeps, for the same reason A&F's blatently sexualized marketing does.
I let myself get suckered into buying two polo shirts with contrasting thread at the Seattle AA last summer. For $70 bucks I got two shirts made of flimsey t-shirt material. I'm all for the buy America thing, but I'll never pay so much money for such crap again. If they had some finer quality stuff I'd be willing to pay for it, but for cheap quality stuff, the sweatshop goods at other places are a far better deal.
It's just like CakeLove, Ben's Chili Bowl, most resturants, and many other small businesses. Great story, great marketing, you want to like, but the product is just sorely lacking.
Amen Bill! since when does American Apparel have "reasonably priced T shirts and underwear"? Clearly I have unreasonably low price expectations...
I grew up a short walk from downtown Silver Spring, and I'm thrilled to see that the area has finally developed into a destination for foodies instead of a skateboard park for kids cutting school. I now live in NW DC, and far prefer it. When I visit my parents in Silver Spring, it's great to see how vibrant and diverse the downtown is, but I still don't feel particularly safe. A number of my parents' neighbors in their (upper middle class) neighborhood have been held up at gunpoint in broad daylight, cars are routinely broken into, and helicopters hovering overhead with searchlights aren't rare. Yes, these things can happen anywhere in the DC area, but Silver Spring still needs to resolve the poverty and crime issues before I'd ever want to move back.
CG,
I moved from Dupont to Silver Spring four years ago. Yes, there is some crime here - certainly more than in many other parts of MoCo, but it is a small fraction of what you see in DC. Take the weekly crime tallies, which I've read religiously in the Post weekly sections of many years.
In SS you might see 3-4 robberies in "Silver Spring" over a given week. This is in a huge area that extends ten miles north of downtown. There may be a robbery or two w/ in downtown SS. So, two or three robberies a week compared to a couple dozen per week in my old neighborhood? Sure there could and should alway be less crime, but it really isn't a problem.
As for Silver Spring solving its "poverty" problem, I wasn't aware that there was one. If anything its gaining an affluence problem.
The problem with poverty is broader than Silver Spring I suppose. The crime I'm referring to is all in the small neighborhood where I grew up, not the larger area. It appears that this crime is mostly committed by armed teenage boys coming from poorer neighborhoods walking distance or a bus ride away; where exactly I don't know. Montgomery County is often seen as a rich suburban county, but people overlook that "down county" has gangs, crime, and some atrociously bad schools.
"Silver Spring still needs to resolve the poverty and crime issues"
Silver Spring is indeed a large area, much more than just the "new downtown" centered around the AFI. The Hispanic and African American populations are mostly lower-middle class and that now contrasts with the more middle class and growing upper middle class people who are moving in and genrifying the "downtown" area. I see a lot of class and racial tension in the future.
Downtown Silver Spring is a pretty good place to live. Just live close to the metro station and you're set.
Walk to a ton of good ethnic restaurants, walk to Whole Foods, walk to normal grocery stores, walk to the AFI or the normal movie theater. Walk to most things you need on a day to day basis.
If you have a car, Trader Joe's is close by, plus all the awesome ethnic food in Wheaton.
Main thing lacking is the nightlife. Would someone please put a good bar in downtown Silver Spring, for god's sake! This is why living close to the Metro in Silver Spring is important, to take you into the city for actual nightlife.
Downtown Silver Spring is a pretty good place to live. Just live close to the metro station and you're set.
Walk to a ton of good ethnic restaurants, walk to Whole Foods, walk to normal grocery stores, walk to the AFI or the normal movie theater. Walk to most things you need on a day to day basis.
If you have a car, Trader Joe's is close by, plus all the awesome ethnic food in Wheaton.
Main thing lacking is the nightlife. Would someone please put a good bar in downtown Silver Spring, for god's sake! This is why living close to the Metro in Silver Spring is important, to take you into the city for actual nightlife.
Good bar?
www.gallerysilverspring.com swing by this Satuday from 4 - 10pm for dinner and drinks and see what's happening. This spot is very unique and drops jaws no matter where you are from (DC, London, Montreal).
SS is a great, growing urban area. Like all urban areas, it's a living organism that is going through serious change. The revitalization is 1/2 way complete. In South Silver Spring alone (people call it SoPo now), a 2 - 3 block area, there are over 2,500 dwelling units coming online...not even including the Blairs.
As far as diversity is concerned, hang out at the SS metro for 1/2hr. and tell me how many languages you can identify. The second or third most spoken language at the local HS (Blair) is French and whoever brought up the age as an element is also spot on.
Right now, SS's got a mix of chains and independents...you want independent shops, go into City Place mall (sits and waits for snide remarks) or stroll down Bonifant, Fenton St. or even Georgia Ave. What about Crisfield's, Moorenkos, Mayorga, Alchemy? SS's big folks, the second largest CBD in MD. aftr B-more...for all of our sakes, let's cheer on the redvelopment, hope it starts incorporating more mixed use projects and that it works.
as far as SS events are concerned, you might want to check out:
www.eightyeightdc.com
or
www.silverspringdowntown.com
I'm sorry, Gallery is lame. It's trying too hard. The best bar in SS is Quarry House. Sure it's more expensive than it was before the new owners, but it's still IN A BASEMENT, looks like an American Legion, has a solid jukebox, and has Dogfish Head IPA on tap and $2 Pabst. Better than $10 pomegranate margaritas and poseur snooty people at Gallery (though I admit, Gallery looks cool and the music ain't bad).
"They should put a good bar in Silver Spring"
Ask and ye shall recieve!
Enter PIRATZ TAVERN. I personally am psyched out of my mind.
www.piratztavern.com
(PS. This appears to be totally serious. Click on the parrot. Sad. Someone, DCist, please do some research into this future classic in the making!)
There are plenty of "real" neighborhoods in DC that don't have a decent restaurant to be found. There are only a few real chain restaurants (Red Lobster, Macaroni Grill, etc.) located on Ellsworth, but even on that street there are plenty of new non-major-chain places. Go outside of that street and pretty much everything is a unique place. Mandalay is one of the best restaurants I've eaten at in the metro area and it is cheap to boot. Oriental East, Jackie's, Thai Derm, Mi Rancho, Cubano's, Taste of Jerusalem and more are all within a few blocks. There's are certainly plenty more in the pipeline, as well.
I'm so happy to read so many positive comments about Silver Spring. Please visit the Silver Spring Scene at silverspringscene.blogspot.com/ for exclusive information dedicated to Silver Spring.
The truth is that places like Silver Spring are rare; there are not too many urban places that lie outside a major city core with such economic strength, height, and density. As an urban district Silver Spring has a population density of 15,600 per square mile that, is greater than D.C. it's self which is only 9,316.4 per square mile. If that doesn't sike you out, it has a greater population density than Chicago (12,750.3 per square mile).
D.C. residents should also be grateful and consider the fact that Maryland donated the land for D.C. Look at an aerial photo and you will see no borders. Like Twoste pointed out there is little difference between downtown D.C. and downtown Silver Spring besides taller buildings in Silver Spring.
As for independent shops, like David pointed out City Place Mall is full of them but it is highly disregarded as “discount”, what a double standard. In fact the majority of the retail in downtown are independent and I see more coming everyday. The revitalization of downtown has been successful, you’d be hard pressed to do anything better, I would like to know what all the critics out there would do instead; just remember to make sure it’s economically feasible.
Silver Spring is truly a unique place and the largest urban area outside D.C. That's bigger than Rosslyn, Ballston, and all the Arlington corridors. 2 1/2 times the size of Bethesda and larger than Bethesda and Wheaton combined. No other area has such a diverse population that is almost split evenly amongst races. It alternates between the 1st and 2nd busiest metro station in all of Washington. No doubt about it, this place has vast potential.
I pose a question for all who consider downtown Silver Spring suburban, what would be your definition of urban? What sets Dupont circle or Columbia Heights apart from Silver Spring? Especially when residents want Targets and Whole foods, this puts you in contradictory predicament.
David,
What the fuck is SoPo? That's a joke, right?
"what the fuck is SoPo? That's a joke right?"
Sorry red line, it isn't. Walk by Alchemy, Moorenkos, Swim Design, Mayorga...they all have SoPo logos in their windows. It stands for South Point and is a branding mechanism for South Silver Spring. Whatever...
As far as Gallery being lame (Chaz). All I can say is that it is the only bar in Silver Spring that offers electronic music and supports local eletronic music talent. Like Austin Grill and on occassion the Quarry House, Gallery's serving the creative community. They also have a great beer and booze selection that is nice and cheap during happy hour. Regardless, I'm glad to have watering hole options like Gallery, Quarry House, Austin Grill, Jackies and yeah...soon the Pirate Tavern. Diversity is one of the key ingredients to a thriving urban area.
I've lived in downtown Silver Spring (about 4 blocks from the renovated area) since 1999. I really don't understand why folks think this area is dangerous. The worst thing to happen in the area as a whole has been the sniper, which nearly paralyzed so many of us. I walk to and from Metro, restaurants, movies, etc, day and night. I've never even felt threatened. The only crimes in my apartment complex were a series of car break-ins over a couple of night period.
When the renovation began, I was worried my favorite ethnic restaurants would end up closing. This hasn't been the case at all. I suspect the lunch time crowd from the Discovery building is helping many of these places. New places like Cake Love are welcome additions. Even the chains have their place.
Are we a diverse area? My neighbors in my building include ladies who wear Islamic headcoverings (a lady who wore a burqua used to live here, but I haven't seen her lately), an elderly gentleman from West Africa, young soldiers and sailors who work at Walter Reed and the Navy hospital, young embassy workers (various countries, they seem to cycle through every couple of years), scientists from NOAA, a few young State Dept folks, an apartment of UMd college students, a couple of young Hispanic families, and a couple of families from Ethiopia. Everyone is pleasant and thoughtful. Over time, this may change though. Montgomery County limits rent increases to 5% per year. I found out recently that my same apartment would cost a new resident between $500-600 more per month than I pay. I'm staying happily entrenched right where I am.
To the folks who think Silver Spring is dangerous: Wow, I'll bet you're absolutely right! My observations are probably faulty. You'd better stay over in Bethesda or Northern Virginia.
I've lived in worked in downtown SS for the past 15 years - I have NEVER witnessed a police helicopter with headlights on in our area. I HAVE seen many, many traffic choppers scanning Georgia Ave, Colesville, the beltway area, and the metro tracks during rush hour perooids. I also get pretty frequent helicopters from Walter Reed passing overhead (I can't wait for that to end). The crime slur is easily disproven by a close look at the actual area stats. Sure there are groups of kids hanging outside the Majestic and occasionally getting into fights, but I've never felt unsafe frequently the place.
Count me in on being a Mi Rancho fan and I'm not sure what your definition of a "real bar" is, but check out the scene at any of the smaller "ethnic" places around southern Georgia Ave that convert to dance halls after-hours.